WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Battling the bottle
Member Center:
La Crosse, WI (WXOW)- Antonio Alverez sits in the La Crosse County Jail awaiting transfer to state prison. He was sentenced to a year behind bars for his 7th drunk driving conviction.
He says his drinking started early in life.
"I remember my first alcohol experience," said Alvarez.
Antonio Alvarez started drinking at 10 years old.
"It provided me with an escape that I was able to not be me," said Alvarez.
It was a way for him to cope with family troubles.
"My father had alcohol issues and drug issues, my mom had alcohol issues," adds Alvarez.
"It was sort of a badge of honor to be an alcoholic, use to walk around saying yeah I am an alcoholic. I could drink endlessly it seemed," said Alvarez.
Antonio is a father and a self employed carpenter.
An artist who can create countless works of arts, but that life is on hold for now.
"When I was out on bond with my 5th OWI, I got my 6th and those were the 2 most severe punishments I got for my alcoholism, the actions of my alcoholism, my decisions," said Alvarez.
Antonio's 7th OWI charge put him 6 months behind bars in the La Crosse County Jail, another 6 in prison.
"My family is suffering the most out of this whole deal besides myself," states Alvarez.
"I had lost my business and my marriage. It was falling apart. Everything was going down, nothing was going right. I was going off the deep end."
Alcohol was in control.
"I tried to get some treatment. I just wasn't ready to change. Wasn't ready to be honest with myself," he states.
He's been sober for 6 months, but it took confinement in a jail cell to do what he couldn't do on is own.
Antonio is 34 years old now.
His story is a graphic lesson of what can happen when drinking gets out of control.
He lost his family, his job and now his freedom.
According to clinical therapist Jeff Court, it's an all too familiar story.
So while for many people, drinking is a social experience, for others, it quickly gets out of control.
Antonio knows he can't control his drinking, and will work hard to stay sober when sobriety once again becomes his choice.
See below for Alcohol Information & Treatment Centers in our area:
Coulee Council on Addictions: 608-784-4177
921 West Avenue South La Crosse
Franciscan Skemp Healthcare-Behavioral Health Service: 608-392-9555
212 South 11th La Crosse
Gundersen Lutheran Behavioral Health:
1900 South Avenue La Crosse : 775-2287
123 16th Ave. South Onalaska: 775-8646
